Script of Sapna Bhavnani’s Bearlike Man to be presented at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival

The script of Sapna Bhavnani’s Bearlike Man has been selected as the official ‘It Project Selection’ and will be presented in front of industry professionals who will visit the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) 2021 and Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF). 

BIFAN launched the NAFF, a project market founded for the purpose of promoting genre film production and development, in 2008.

Throwing light on the film, a statement read, “Bearlike Man is a story of a grizzly bear possessed mother who gives birth to a boy with a rare disease called bearlike syndrome and gets him married to a 12-year-old virgin to cure him on the advice of the local witch.” 

An overjoyed Bhavnani said in a statement, “When I found out my project Bearlike Man was selected, I had no idea how to react. I did not expect it at all. Not because I didn't have faith in my story but because women are seldom found in this arena. I cannot thank Jongsuk [Thomas Nam, the managing director of the NAFF and programmer at BIFAN] enough for encouraging all of us to apply. Not only is Bearlike Man the only project from India this year, but it is also the only project directed by an Indian woman ever selected.” 

She added, “I am beyond excited as finally I have been selected in the perfect market for the films I want to make. For two years I was trying really hard to please OTT platforms and producers from India to finance my films and it is only this year I made peace knowing that there is a market for everyone, and the commercial Indian market was not for me. Once I realized this, I was free to write what I really wanted and voila I birthed Bearlike Man.”